Russell Wilson and the Seahawks escaped Carolina with a 12-7 victory

Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson both survived gritty duels against other talented, mobile passers. Ryan Tannehill got the better of Brandon Weeden in a bad situation. If you’re keeping score on Year 2 quarterbacks, Luck and Wilson are still elite. Tannehill and Weeden are still mediocre.

While Luck and Wilson leaned on their familiar big-play flair in comeback victories, Tannehill and Weeden limped through the same Sunday game, limited by the same old growing pains.

Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a 12-7 win over Carolina, but it wasn't elegant. It was a rough start for second-year quarterbacks throughout the league. (AP photo)

Luck completed his first 11 pass attempts against the Raiders, for 127 yards and two beautiful TDs to Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen. But Oakland started to clamp on him, as he completed only 7 of his final 16 attempts, and an anemic pass rush still managed to get to him for four sacks. He once again needed to bail out the Colts late in a 21-17 victory, and it included utilizing his underrated legs on a 19-yard TD run. Luck is a big, strong QB, but Indianapolis can’t afford to let the hits pile on like they did when he was a rookie.

Wilson also got smacked around often against the Panthers’ defense in a 12-7 tough Seattle road win, and he was a non-factor as a rusher. That’s before he threw back to Year 1 by showing off his deep arm with the 43-yard game-winning TD.

In both cases, Luck and Wilson faced elite athletes on the other sideline in Terrelle Pryor and Cam Newton. But what makes Luck and Wilson so much better is that they don't just flash big arms and athleticism. They are as much heady players as anything.

So on a day when not everything went well around them and for them, Luck and Wilson dug into the same clutch play that made them look so promising (and like veterans) when they were less experienced as rookies. They pretty much stared the sophomore jinx in the face and are unlikely to blink anytime this season.

As for Tannehill and Weeden, well, it wasn’t the start they wanted to prove they had improved from their shaky rookie years. On the same field, Weeden threw three first-half interceptions (with plenty of passes deflected) and was sacked six times by the Dolphins. Although Tannehill (interception, four sacks vs. the Browns) played much better overall, he picked up where he left off in being so-so—still relying on Brian Hartline and the big pass, while inconsistent on the whole afternoon.

It’s a reminder that while Luck and Wilson will keep knocking on the door of greatness, Weeden and Tannehill have a lot to learn to even sniff above-average air.